Year's Best Hardcore Horror, Volume 1

Editors Randy Chandler and Cheryl Mullenax put the call out to horror writers and editors of extreme stories, the hardcore stuff that breaks boundaries and trashes taboos, the transgressive tales you can't "unread" (as Chuck Palahniuk says). Some of the stories you'll find here are loaded with very graphic descriptions of violence, sex, and depravities, while others may contain only one shocking moment of brutality. In others, the hardcore aspect may be less graphic and subtler than you might expect.

The Nameless Dark

The Nameless Dark debuts a major new voice in contemporary weird fiction. Within these minutes, you'll find whispers of the familiar ghosts of the classic pulps - Lovecraft, Bradbury, Smith - blended with Grau's uniquely macabre, witty storytelling, securing his place at the table amid this current Renaissance of literary horror.

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams: Stories

A master storyteller at his best - the O. Henry Prize winner Stephen King delivers a generous collection of stories, several of them brand-new, featuring revelatory autobiographical comments on when, why, and how he came to write (or rewrite) each story. Magnificent, eerie, utterly compelling, these stories comprise one of King's finest gifts to his constant fan. "I made them especially for you," says King. "Feel free to examine them, but please be careful. The best of them have teeth."

Certain Dark Things

In her debut short story collection, M.J. Pack offers up a new breed of terror sure to delight any true horror fan. Don’t miss out on tales of telepathic twins, a campfire ghost story gone terribly wrong, pills that induce life-threatening nightmares, and the disturbing new sideshow at Coney Island: Lady Alligator. Take a haunting trip down infamous Bubblehead Road and follow Danny around the country as he’s pursued by unseen (and unrelenting) creatures.

Swan Song

Facing down an unprecedented malevolent enemy, the government responds with a nuclear attack. America as it was is gone forever, and now every citizen - from the President of the United States to the homeless on the streets of New York City - will fight for survival. In a wasteland born of rage and fear, populated by monstrous creatures and marauding armies, earth's last survivors have been drawn into the final battle between good and evil, that will decide the fate of humanity.

Great & Secret Show

In the little town of Palomo Grove, two great armies are amassing; forces shaped from the hearts and souls of America. In this New York Times best-seller, Barker unveils one of the most ambitious imaginative landscapes in modern fiction, creating a new vocabulary for the age-old battle between good and evil. Carrying its readers from the first stirring of consciousness to a vision of the end of the world, The Great and Secret Show is a breathtaking journey in the company of a master storyteller.

Kwyork3000 says:"Amazing novel"

Publisher's Summary

From Jay Bonansinga, author of The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury and The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor, comes a collection of short stories and novellas that span a number of genres. Included in this collection of tales of horror, dark fantasy, crime/noir, and dark erotica: “Animal Rites”; “Black Celebration”; “Steagal's Barber Shop and Smoke Emporium”; “The Panic Switch”; “Deal Memo”; “Mole”; “Necrotica”; “Big Bust at Herbert Hoover High”; “Stash”; “The Beaumont Prophecy”; “Obituary Mambo”; “Due Date”; “Mama”; “Somebody Down Here Wants to Talk to You”; “Glory Hand in the Soft City”; “The Butcher's Kingdom”; “The Miniaturist”; “The True Cause of the Great Depression”.

I loved the Walking Dead novels, so I wanted to listen to something else from Jay Bonansinga. While there are no zombies here, many of the stories have stuck with me. I will be looking for more books narrated by George Kuch. He has a great voice, very easy to listen to.

What does George Kuch bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I doubt I would have stuck with some of the stories if I hadn't been listening to them. When I started to drift off, he kept it interesting and drew my attention back in.

Was Blood Samples worth the listening time?

Yes, I liked the majority of the stories. Some of them were pretty twisted.